Gondwana
Gondwana is a subcontinent of North America, mostly situated on the Gondwandan Plate, Definitions of the extent of the Gondwandan subcontinent differ but it usually includes the core lands of California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur History 'Pre-contact period' Different tribes of Amerindians have lived in Gondwana for an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 years 'European exporlation' The first European to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was the Portuguese Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed an undefined portion of the Gondwana coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila Galleons on their return trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565.[43] Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for New Spain. 'Spanish colonization' Spanish missionaries began setting up 21 California Missions along the coast of what became known as Alta California (Northern Gondwana), together with small towns and presidios. 'Mexican era' The Mexican War of Indepedence (including Gondwana) gave Mexico independence from Spain, for the next 25 years Northern Gondwana (California) remained a remote northern province of the nation of Mexico. 'American colonization' Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the U.S. and Canada began to arrive in Northern Gondwana. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail, California Trail, Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts surrounding California. In this period, Imperial Russia explored the Gondwana coast and established a trading post at Fort Ross. In between 1831 to 1836, Northern Gondwana (Gondwana) experienced a series of revolts against Mexico;[46] this culminated in the 1836 California revolt lead by Juan Bautista Alvarado, which ended after Mexico appointed him governor of the department.[47] The revolt, which had momentarily declared California an independent state, was successful with the assistance of American and British residents of California,[48] includingIsaac Graham;[49] after 1840, 100 of those residents who did not have passports were arrested, leading to the Graham affair in 1840.[48] In 1846 settlers rebelled against Mexican rule during the Bear Flag Revolt. Afterwards, rebels raised the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe and the words "California Republic") at Sonoma. The Republic's first and only president was William B. Ide,[50] who played a pivotal role during the Bear Flag Revolt. The California Republic was short lived; the same year marked the outbreak of the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). When Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into Monterey Bay and began the military occupation of California by the United States, Northern California capitulated in less than a month to the U.S. forces. After a series of defensive battles in Southern California, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the Californios on January 13, 1847, securing American control in California. Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war, the Northern portion of Gondwana was ceded to the United States by Mexico, Northern Gondwana (California) became a territory of the United States, while Southern Gondwana remained a possession of Mexico. Geography Gondwana is the second-largest subcontinent by size, after India. Gondwana is part of both the United States and Mexico, Gondwana begins at the Oregon-California Border, and ends in the Southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. in the middle of the subcontinent lies the California Central Valley, bounded by the the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Cascade Range in the north and the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. The Central Valley is Gondwana's agricultural heartland and grows approximately one-third of the subcontinent's food Along the Gondwana coast are several major metropolitan areas, including Greater Los Angeles Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area. Demographics Population Gondwana is the one of the most populous regions of North America, Gondwana is also the smallest subcontinent in the World by population. As of 2011, Gondwana had a estimated population of around 40 million, more than 20 percent of North America's population, the most populated area is in North-Central Gondwana. Ethnic Groups White Gondwanans make up the majority of Gondwana's population, with over 50% of the population living in Gondwana, Asians make up the largest minority of Gondwana, with 15% of the population. Languages Spanish and English are the most spoken languages in Gondwana, Spanish is mostly spoken in Central and Southern Gondwana, or the Mexican part of Gondwana, and English is mostly spoken in Northern Gondwana, or the U.S. part of Gondwana, Spanish is also spoken around the US-Mexico border.